Balochistan, We Do Not Know You!

Adil Najam

This video needs no explanation. It says so much more than what it says. It deserves a lot of thought. And, for those of us not from Baluchistan, a head hung in shame.

I saw it first in a post on the blog Cafe Pyala, which got it exactly right:

Many of us have often had a laugh about Americans’ woeful knowledge about the rest of the world.

Well, what would you say to this? A BBC Urdu correspondent roamed the streets of Punjab’s largest and most cosmopolitan city, Lahore, to ask random people on the street how much they knew of Balochistan. His report is compiled under the heading “Punjab Balochistan Ko Kitna Jaanta Hai?” (How well does Punjab know Balochistan?). Keep in mind that Lahore is not a rural backwater where media is not easily accessible, that Punjab’s population comprises some 60 percent of the Pakistan’s population and that in the last three years, the issue of Balochistan has probably been one of the most talked about issues in domestic politics. Think for a moment what it says about our educational system, our media, our democracy, our policy-making,  our national integration and yes, our majoritarian chauvinism.

If this does not actually shock you, you’re made of sterner stuff than I am.

As I said, this video needs no explanation. It says so much more than what it says. It speaks to the facts that we too often do not speak of. It reminds us of the killings, the disappearances, the murders that we wish to wish away. It deserves a lot of thought. And, for those of us not from Baluchistan, a head hung in shame.